Maerchen Ero Ero
by Captain-Hina's-Love-Slave
Summary: Ace recieves Sanji's letter, and the story draws to a close. Will it be happy ever after for Ace and Sanji?
1. Chapter 1

I didn't expect to be loading this story first. As I've already explained in my profile Ibelieve Sanji is heterosexual ( though I cannot say the same for most of the rest of the cast!). This story is, therefore, a complete flight of fancy; not because I'm a huge fan of shounenai (quite the opposite, as it were) but because it just seems so bloody obvious to me everytime I watch the Alabasta arc that Ace has fallen for Sanji. So here's my take on AceSan, because I haven't yet found an AceSan fic that does justice to the depth of feeling I see in the way Ace looks at Sanji in episode 95... not obsessive do have better things to do

please r+r, constructive criticism is very welcome. I await my first flame with bated breath!

(a/n: title is provisional, until i think of a good one. beleive it or not it's a very obscure One Piece related joke... I'll be interested to see if anyone gets it!)

Märchen Ero Ero

Approximately 20 seconds after being introduced to his brother's nakama, Ace began to suspect that he was in over his head. It wasn't the presence of the ex-pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro; even when he _had_ been a bounty hunter, Ace knew he could have taken him. Nor was it the strange coincidence of Yassopp's son sailing with his father's captain's protégé. Still less was it the odd appearance of poor little Chopper; Ace had encountered stranger beings in the past. And it certainly wasn't the state of near undress of the navigator and her little friend. With the odd notable exception, Ace tended not to notice what women were, or were not, wearing. No it was none of these things – it was the seventh and final person on board… When Ace had noticed him he had nearly fallen overboard. Was it possible for a human being to be that beautiful? Ace had heard rumours of a Devil's fruit that endowed the eater with breathtaking beauty, and something else he couldn't remember. He wondered if Luffy's cook had eaten this fruit… Surely such physical perfection was unnatural otherwise? However, now was not the time to be melting over him, however attractive he was. Every successful pirate should be able to conceal his emotions, and Ace had his mask for such occasions, as the best of them did. It slipped slightly, however, as the beautiful blond spoke to him. Ace was not used to being graciously offered tea by adorable blond chefs, so he really couldn't help the smile that slipped out from behind his pirate captain mask. The presence of a fleet of hostile ships had served as a timely reminder that now was neither the time, nor the place, for that that kind of behaviour… and also, though Ace had tried to pretend that this had been the last thing on his mind, an opportunity to show off for his brother's stunningly beautiful chef; he usually prided himself on being a swift, no-nonsense fighter, and had in the past despatched entire ships without even standing up in his skiff, so there was no getting away from the fact that all that acrobatic leaping and all those artistic columns of flame had been to catch the eye of the slender blond.

Sanji was his name. Ace had found this out a little later, after the Baroque Works ships had been reduced to charred pieces of driftwood and it had been agreed that he would travel with them as far as Yuba, and he was sitting in the little galley of the Going Merry with his promised mug of tea. Ace hadn't known how much he loved tea before this moment in time – normally he drank coffee, downing buckets of Espresso in a vain attempt to keep himself awake, but from now on, he thought, he would always drink tea – Darjeeling tea with milk, but no sugar.

Sanji… that was a really nice name. Ace never normally noticed names; they were useful things to have, saved shouting "Oi, you – the fat one with the red hair!" or whatever, but that was about it. But Sanji was a lovely name; sweet, without being girly and it sounded kind of exotic, which really suited him. If Ace had been poetical his thoughts would have been able to continue along these lines and wax lyrical on just _why_ Sanji was such a wonderful name. But Ace was not poetical. So he merely mentally remarked that it was a cute name, sipped his tea, which was now the most delicious drink in the world, and continued to gaze at this vision of male perfection who was currently shouting at his younger brother and Yassopp's son for playing with their food.

Ace took advantage of Sanji's being thus engaged to really take in his beauty. Now that he had had a chance to observe Sanji at closer quarters he could see that his skin was not quite as smooth as that Devil's Fruit was reputed to make it, but it was as near flawless as any skin Ace had ever laid eyes on before, and so clean-shaven that, had it not been for the perfectly sculpted bit of beard on his chin, Ace could hardly have believed that he grew facial hair at all.

And there were so many other things that had him transfixed… Ace had not been a huge fan of fair hair up to now, but then, he had never seen hair before that shone quite as much as Sanji's did… and it looked so soft! Ace longed to run his fingers through it, kiss it, bury his face in it… Likewise he had not thought he had liked his men so thin; and even under that kaftan, he could see that Sanji's build was slight. But he knew that if he ever once got the chance to wrap his arms around that slim, graceful body he would not want to let go. And those eyes! Never before in his life had Ace seen eyes so beautifully and flawlessly blue. He couldn't usually remember the colours of his lovers eyes; he'd never wanted to gaze into them as he did Sanji's. They made him want to compare them to beautiful things, but, as already noted, flowery language was not Ace's forte so he contented himself with admiring them when he thought Sanji couldn't see him.

After Sanji had suggested (rather violently) to Luffy and Usopp that they wash the dishes if they had nothing better to do, and turned away pouting and muttering about how much work he had to do, Ace did something that, even with his natural good manners he rarely did; he offered to help in the kitchen. He was richly rewarded for it when Sanji turned to him and refused the offer with a radiant smile. Ace was glad he was seated, as he felt that, had he been standing, his legs would have been in danger of melting. Later on, after Luffy and Usopp had escaped the galley, Ace had offered to help Sanji again. Sanji had declined once more, but this time Ace had insisted and, taking up a tea towel had begun to dry the recently washed dishes. That smile had appeared on Sanji's face again, giving Ace the sudden, absurd desire to spend the rest of his life in the galley of the Going Merry putting away dishes.

Ace was trying his best to surreptitiously gauge the way Sanji was reacting to him. He was not good at this kind of subtlety - up to this point his "romantic" encounters had been mainly of the "Fancy a shag?" "Yeah, all right," variety. But Ace somehow felt that even suggesting such a thing would be an insult to Sanji's perfection and he knew Sanji wouldn't have been the person he was had he made the suggestion himself. Normally Ace would just have come straight out with a proposition and good-naturedly shrugged it off if he was rejected – but this time he knew he would be very unhappy, to say the least, if Sanji refused him. And he wanted to be absolutely sure of how Sanji felt before he asked.

He knew he could hardly expect Sanji just to blurt anything out, especially as he himself was so carefully concealing his feelings. Then again, he was sure he was not flattering himself when he thought he noticed Sanji was flirting with him a little bit. Certainly he was being very attentive. Sure, Ace had already noticed the way Sanji went to pieces over the women in the crew, but he had decided that this didn't necessarily rule out the possibility that Sanji could feel anything for him. He himself preferred men but sometimes went with women, so why couldn't Sanji prefer women but sometimes go with men? With this comforting thought in mind, Ace tried to analyse Sanji's every word, movement and change of expression as they tidied the kitchen and talked.

While the dishes were being dried and put away (in the case of those "washed" by Luffy, they had to be re-rinsed first), and that evening's dinner was being prepared and put to simmer, Ace was beginning to really believe that he was developing a special rapport with Sanji. They had talked mainly about matters relating to piracy; the intentions of Baroque Works, the whereabouts of Blackbeard, the skill (or otherwise) of the International Marine forces. But when Sanji had given the dinner a final stir and put the lid on the pot, he turned to Ace and said: "Why don't we have another cup of tea?" then put the kettle on. They sat down together at the table side by side, and conversation turned to less immediate matters. Sanji told Ace all about what it had been like working on the Baratie with Red Leg Zeff, and about his early childhood in North Blue and even alluded to the awful time marooned on that barren little island with Zeff. In return, Ace told him about his impoverished, orphaned childhood in Fuchsia Village, attempting to bring up Luffy, and the constant battle to make sure that they had enough to eat and clothes to wear.

They had lapsed into a companiable silence, which Ace was enjoying, when the others entered the galley, led by Luffy shouting "Meshi!" and suddenly Sanji had leapt up from the table to attend to the women, dancing round them seeing to their every need and giving them the best food, eyes turning heart-shaped and limbs wiggling if either of them deigned to speak to him, particularly Nami, and Ace found himself all but forgotten about.

Only Usopp noticed the slightly crushed look on Ace's face, and he kept quiet about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally my second chapter! First of all, I would like to thank all my reviewers for the lovely reviews I've been left I only hope they are indicative of the feelings of _all_ the people who read this story.If anybody _doesn't_ like it, please tell me, it would be interesting to here a different point of view. I can take a bit of criticism, I'm tough!

Second - apologies for taking so long in updating. I fully intended to get this chapter up in under a week, but I was still doing exams so I didn't have time. Then I had to move house xx I had to spend all weekend packing and moving things and now some of my stuff is in boxes in the house I'm moving into in September, a very little of it is here with me in my University halls of residence and most of it is in more boxes in my Dad's house where Ishall shortly be joining it for the summer. Unfortunately, this includes my computer sob so I had to finish writing this new chapter in a notebook then get up early this morning to type it up in a university study centre. >>

Anyway, enough about my troubles... I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as the last one, despite a distinct lack of fluff...

* * *

What the Hell was the matter with Ace? The further into the desert they got, the more miserable he seemed to be. He perked up a bit when he had some fighting or something else to do – he appeared to be really enjoying himself helping out those fools in that little village, for instance, but the rest of the time he seemed really unhappy. At first Sanji had assumed it was the heat getting to him, like it was to everyone else, but then Ace himself had explained that, being made of fire, heat didn't bother him. And anyway, it had to be more than just feeling crap because he was he was too hot. It looked like something was really preying on his mind: he was spending increasing amounts of time walking or sitting apart from everyone else, lost in thought. And not very happy thoughts, either.

After a while, Sanji actually found it was beginning to get to him – when Ace was more cheerful, and talking, Sanji had had some really good conversations with him. He loved his nakama, of course, and he particularly loved to spend time with his darling Nami-san, but there were times when he felt that he really didn't have much in common with any of them. Not so with Ace – he had felt an instant sense of friendship and, when they had talked, it had seemed they had a lot to say to each other. As well as this, Sanji felt that Ace understood where he was coming from a lot of the time, which was not a feeling he ever got with Zoro, for instance, or Luffy. But he couldn't talk to Ace with him moping like that. What _was_ the matter with him? Sanji had thought that it might be something to do with Blackbeard; perhaps Ace had been close to the man whom Blackbeard had killed. But he couldn't help noticing that Ace seemed _less_ miserable when he was talking about Blackbeard and, when Sanji had tried to draw him out on the subject, it had transpired that Ace had barely known the dead man. He had been saddened by the incident, as Sanji would have expected any good captain to be, but he seemed to regard the obligation to kill Blackbeard simply as a duty that had to be done, and from the way he spoke about it, Sanji really could not see how it could be the cause of his moping.

In some ways, he almost wished Ace would confide in him – just so that he could feel he might be able to help, or at least to understand. Sanji didn't like seeing other people suffering. But of course, he couldn't just go and _ask_ Ace what was wrong, when he knew him so little. Why didn't Luffy bloody well notice something was up with Ace? He was _his_ brother after all. Then again, Sanji reasoned, Luffy probably wasn't very easy to confide in anyway. It struck Sanji that, quite possibly, Ace didn't have anybody he could share his problems with. A sailor's life could be a lonely one, Sanji knew this from experience, and knowing it only made him wish even more that he could help Ace out somehow.

In the long stretches where there was nothing to be but walk or fight over the water, he found himself thinking more about this more than he probably would have done normally and he started noticing things that, if anything, only seemed to complicate matters even more. For instance: Sanji couldn't for the life of him work out why Ace appeared to resent it when he himself spoke to, or about, Nami-san and Vivi-chan but it was becoming increasingly obvious that he did. He hadn't seemed to at the beginning, and it had only really become apparent to Sanji after Ace returned from that village with all the food and water. Sanji had merely tried to defend Vivi-chan's reasons for believing that Ace might have stolen it, and Ace, usually impeccably polite, had very nearly bitten his head off. After this incident, Sanji was more alert to other indications that something to do with the ladies got to Ace. Naturally, at mealtimes Sanji had little attention to spare for anyone else as he was so busily engaged in seeing that Nami-san and Vivi-chan had everything they required or wanted. But afterwards it always occurred to him that Ace was worse at these times than at others; sitting at some distance from everyone else and eating in a morose silence.

And then, very suddenly, Ace had left. After dealing with Scorpion, he had announced his intention of returning to the sea and then had, almost literally, disappeared. Sanji got the distinct impression that, had it not been for his deeply ingrained good manners, he might have just gone without saying goodbye to any of them, except perhaps Luffy. And – but Sanji was inclined to disregard this thought completely as it seemed so ludicrous – it had seemed as though Ace was trying to avoid looking at him. As they completed their journey, Sanji pondered on these things. The only conclusion he could come to was that one of them, and most likely it was himself, had done something to piss Ace off or upset him. But what? He was beginning to wish he could have got Ace on his own before he left so that he could have found out what it was and put it right.

All too soon, however, they arrived in Yuba and more pressing considerations like imminent civil war and staying alive drove all thought of Ace from Sanji's mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Whew! Once again, sorry for the delay in uploading! I had this all ready to go on Thursday morning, but our internet connection crashed -- This chapter contains OC but he's not very important... Next chapter should be up soon (fingers crossed!) as I've actually already started it. I'm not as pleased with this chapter as I am with the other two; but I figured it was time I got some actually narrative in. I'll see what you think...

* * *

If only Ace could have shaken Sanji so easily from his mind. Whatever had possessed him to trek across the desert with them like that? He should have left as soon as he had seen off the Baroque Works ships and gone straight back out to sea. He knew _really _thatBlackbeard was not in Yuba – of course he bloody well knew! What kind of fool would fall for that? No pirate would have any reason to be so far in land. Well, not unless he was a Strawhat pirate on his way to prevent a civil war… Or the second in command of Whitebeard's fleet, following a certain Strawhat pirate like a lovesick schoolgirl. Ace was rather shaken by the intensity of the feelings that had so suddenly developed for Sanji. He was not a romantic and, while he _had _had a vague idea in the back of his mind that he'd like to meet someone he could fall in love with one day, he had definitely never believed in love at first sight. He could remember once going to see _Romeo and Juliet_ (he had been seeing the actor who was playing Mercutio) and had thought it was a load of bollocks – the bits he hadn't slept through, anyway. What the Hell was Romeo doing killing himself over some bint he'd known for all of a fortnight? And all that "Lo it is the East…" crap – he'd barely spoken two words to her, how did he know she wouldn't turn out to be a complete cow? But now here he himself was, having spent 72 hours in Sanji's company and knowing, not feeling, _knowing_, that Sanji was the nearest to perfect a human being could be and if that time had been forever, it wouldn't have been long enough…

Angry with himself for letting his feelings run away with him like that, and trying not to imagine the look on his captain's face were he to hear about it, he made his way straight back to Alubarna and set sail trusting to fate, which usually smiled on him, to steer him to some place where he might pick up some useful information on Blackbeard.

* * *

It steered him instead to Schwänzenburg; which had long ago been a quiet, impoverished little fishing village but had prospered during the great age of piracy as a town where pirates could "relax" between bouts of pillaging. It was a place in which one was more likely to pick up the clap than useful information. Ace drew in the flames that powered his engine and let his skiff float along next to the dank and mouldy quay, surveying with dismay the sordid sprawl of buildings, most of which boasted "velvet" curtains and a red light above the door. This was not the sort of place Ace would be caught dead in if he could help it… On the other hand, he was starving. Food triggered his narcolepsy so, although it didn't entirely prevent attacks, he never let himself eat while sailing to minimise the risk. There had to be somewhere in amongst the brothels, bawdy-houses, bordellos and occasional bars that sold food. Ace moored his skiff and jumped ashore. The sun was only just beginning to set, so the inhabitants and guests of the town, veteran creatures of the night, all of them, were only just beginning to emerge above ground and Ace had only encountered two drug dealers, three kerb-crawlers and Pandaman before he found a bar that sold food without any obligation to purchase an accompanying spliff and where the waitresses were only topless, and nothing worse. He attempted to enter the establishment unobtrusively – difficult for a famous pirate with an eight figure bounty and a scantily-clad physique as stunning as Ace's – sat at the bar and ordered the special from the chalkboard.

"Certainly sir," said the barman, in a voice as oily as his hair. "And would sir care to eat it off one of our lovely waitress-"  
"A plate would do _just fine_, thank you," Ace cut in.

"Very good sir," sniffed the barman, rather disappointed. Eating off a waitress cost extra. When he returned from giving Ace's order to the cook, Ace asked him for a double rum - strongest you've got and no ice, please – and set about doing what many a greater and lesser man before has done to forget his sorrows: turning to drink. Fortunately for him he looked so miserable that he was more or less left alone. A couple of the waitresses (who doubled as lap dancers after dark) gyrated round him provocatively for a few minutes but were ignored and soon gave up in disgust when he fell asleep face down in his meal and took themselves off to the other end of the bar. The few pirates and bounty hunters who entered were too far below Ace's standards to even think of approaching him, let alone fighting him; though one decidedly tipsy cabin boy asked for his autograph as a dare and nearly died of shock when Ace absent-mindedly obliged. But apart from them, the only human being he had any contact with for most of the night was the barman, who poked him when he fell asleep and refilled his glass at regular intervals.

* * *

The last thing Ace remembered was falling asleep (again) in the middle of a Sanji-related inner monologue. So he was more than a little surprised to find himself awakening in a small bed in dingy little bedsit. He could smell bacon frying. Opening his eyes, he saw a slim young man frying bacon over a single gasring on a table in the corner of the room. "Good morning Captain Firefist," he smiled, and Ace began to remember a few things. How he had been prodded awake to find this person sitting on the barstool next to his, telling it was closing time. Then a blank patch, and suddenly his hand was on Ace's thigh and he was propositioning him – which had suddenly seemed a very attractive idea. In the cold, sober morning light he was as blond and slender and handsome as he had been then. He was not Sanji; Ace had not been so very drunk that he could have thought _that_, but he had a very nice smile and had been an attentive and obliging lover. His name was… Ace was rather ashamed to find he had forgotten. Luckily it didn't come up. He snuggled back under the blankets with Ace, contentedly stroking his chest and chatting away happily about himself while they ate bacon and toast and drank black coffee. Ace was reminded that he was assistant chef in the bar, which happened to be downstairs when he confided his dream to save up enough money to buy a passage out of Schwänzenburg and apply for a job on the Baratie.

After a little while, he asked: "Don't you want my information, then?"

Not missing a trick, Ace replied: "I didn't come back here just to get information out of you," playing the gentleman card, as he couldn't for the life of him remember what this information might be. His bedfellow glowed with pleasure then related to him the details and approximate whereabouts of a naval fleet that a Marine commander he had spent the night with a week ago had told was collecting intelligence on Blackbeard. Ace was deeply grateful. It sounded plausible, and anything that bought back some of the time he had wasted recently was more than welcome.

After a short pause the boy said a little hesitantly: "Hey, I know this is just a one night stand and everything but…You're not going to run off and act on that information _just_ yet, are you?"

Ace considered for all of 3 seconds before he put his plate down on the floor, rolled the boy over and kissed him. What harm could a few more hours not chasing Blackbeard do?

"Hey Ace…" the boy said, as his thin arms embraced the powerful shoulders. "Who's Sanji?"

Ace froze. "Just – someone," he said lamely. "Why?"

"Oh… nothing. Just you… mentioned him last night," he neglected to add that this had been the name Ace had murmured contentedly as he dropped off to sleep cradling his head tenderly against his chest. And seeing the look on Ace's face now, he wished he'd kept his mouth shut completely. Attempting to make amends, he brushed his lips over Ace's jugular and began gently stroking his muscled stomach. Ace sighed, submitted and was _almost_ reconciled to not having Sanji.

* * *

Several hours later saw Ace setting sail, the boy standing on the pier watching him go, having seen him off with a final kiss and some sandwiches for the journey. Ace had finally found out his name, as he had written it down on a little card along with his address in case Ace ever felt like coming back. Courteously, Ace had thanked him for the information and given him his red bead necklace to remember him by, but by the time he was on course for the next island it was not him he was thinking of, or even Blackbeard, but Sanji once more. 


	4. Chapter 4

Here we go, another chapter for you! I'm glad the last one was so well received - I hope this will be as well, though again, I'm not entirely happy with it.For people hoping to see Ace and Sanji get together, this chapter throws a spanner into the works - a Nami-shaped spanner! Aren't I cruel? Also, the idea of NaVi is mentioned, but those of you who've read my profile will know I think of this as an established fact.

Read on...

* * *

The lull in the Strawhat's adventures after Alabasta was all too brief but, to Sanji, very welcome. Not that he was a coward, of course, there was no one who would dispute that; except perhaps Zoro, and he wouldn't _really _have meant it. Still, fighting was dangerous, not to mention exhausting, and it was good to have time to just kick back and relax for a while. And also, while he missed Vivi-chan as much as he would have missed any of his nakama, her decision to stay in Alabasta renewed his hope of winning over his darling Nami-san. He had been sure, absolutely _sure_, that he had been on the brink of getting somewhere with her before Vivi had appeared and she had – quite understandably – fallen for the sweet-natured, doll-like young Princess. If Sanji hadn't been such a gentleman he might have been jealous when Vivi reciprocated her feelings. As it was, he had just tried his best to be unselfishly happy for his Nami-san, though he didn't leave off flirting with either of the girls; it was too deeply ingrained in his nature. He was only human after all. And now, with Vivi safely ensconced in the royal palace, there to stay, why should Nami-san not fall for him? Plenty of people were bisexual, after all, and he was certain she had given him the odd sign that she felt something more for him than she felt for her other nakama – there had to be something in that "Sanji-kun". Therefore, while Nami tried hard to reconcile herself to the loss of her first love, Sanji re-doubled his efforts to capture her heart. Sanji was nothing if not optimistic. Only the closest of observers would have noticed that, while he appeared to be just as besotted with Robin, with her he was really just going through the motions from force of habit. In actual fact the older woman's air of sophistication and mystery quite frightened Sanji; it made him feel very young and inexperienced, which he didn't much like. On top of this, though many people would have laughed in scornful disbelief to hear it, Sanji really believed that he loved his Nami-san.

* * *

Sanji barely spared a thought for Ace after he left them until one very rainy day when they were all sitting in the galley – which always seemed far too small at times like these. Sanji was preparing that evening's dinner and Luffy was Dying of Boredom, and had been all day. He was driving his nakama insane. He had irritated Zoro almost to the point of justifiable homicide (in Zoro's opinion), broken whatever it was Usopp was building, pestered Robin to read her book to him then protested that it was boring after three sentences and repeatedly attempted to steal Chopper's freshly-made Rumble-balls, labouring under the delusion that they were good to eat. Now it was Sanji he was driving up the wall, by trying to steal food. Sanji managed to put up with it for twenty minutes until, trying to prevent Luffy from dislodging the slices of fruit he was arranging on top of a cake for Nami-san and Robin-chan, he slipped with his knife and cut his finger.  
There shortly followed a resounding crash as Luffy was kicked against the opposite wall, offset by Usopp jumping up and down like a hyperactive rabbit, shouting that he was not a shipwright.  
"Oh, why can't you be more like your brother?" Nami burst out suddenly. She had thus far escaped being directly involved in Luffy's quest for amusement; he still had a sore spot from where she had hit him the last time he had been Dying of Boredom and had drawn goldfish all over one of her maps.  
"What's Nii-chan got to do with it?" Luffy asked plaintively, rubbing the part of his rear that Sanji had kicked.  
Nami sighed. "Well, if he were here, he'd probably be laying the table or washing up, or doing something to make himself useful, instead of just being a nuisance."  
"But all that stuff is boring," said Luffy, while picking his nose.  
"Ace didn't seem to mind, while he was here," Nami pointed out.  
Zoro chuckled. "He wouldn't think it was boring though, would he? Not when it's for San-" he was silenced by a dig in the ribs and a glare from Usopp.  
Sanji was about to inquire as to what the Hell shitty Marimo was talking about, when Chopper, who had finished seeing to his cut finger, asked: "When is Ace-nii-san coming to see us again, Luffy?"  
"Dunno," said Luffy, as he finally stopped investigating the contents of his nose. "All I got from him is that piece of paper."  
"I expect he'll come again soon, Doctor-san," Robin smiled at the little reindeer. "He probably misses his little brother."  
Zoro chuckled again. "More like he misses San-"  
"Zoro!" hissed Usopp, warningly.  
Sanji looked at them both with narrowed eyes. "Just what are you guys getting at?"  
"Nothing," they both said, rather too quickly.  
Fortunately for them, Luffy created a diversion by finally achieving his earlier goal of swallowing a Rumble-ball. Thankfully he didn't ingest it – it went down the wrong way – and by the time Chopper had Heimlich-ed it back out again the moment had passed for Sanji to find out what Usopp and Zoro had been looking so shifty about.

* * *

Later that night, Sanji was sitting up in the crow's nest on night watch. The rain had died away to an unpleasant drizzle and a chill wind was blowing, but he had an umbrella against the rain, a blanket against the wind, a thermos of tea, cigarettes, and everyone else was asleep in their cabins. Sanji liked these watches, they gave him time to think. Something he had precious little of on the Going Merry. He liked his privacy. On the Baratie, as assistant head chef, he had had a cabin to himself but here on the Going Merry he hardly ever seemed to get any time alone – even when he chose to sleep in the galley instead of in the men's quarters, there always seemed to be someone creeping in for a midnight snack or a glass of water. And during the day there was never any peace, especially when the weather was like this and Luffy was Dying of Boredom. Casting his mind back over that earlier scene in the kitchen, Sanji was reminded of Zoro's peculiar, half-finished comments. What _had_ he been getting at? About Ace missing him… Sanji would just have dismissed it as Marimo talking bollocks, if it hadn't looked like Usopp knew something about it as well. But what cause would Ace have to miss_ him_ in particular? Sometimes Sanji didn't understand his nakama… As he puzzled over their remarks, he realised, with mild surprise, that he actually quite missed Ace. Funny that, to miss someone he'd known such a short time… Forgetting how morose and silent Ace had been at times, Sanji found himself wishing that they could have enjoyed a little more of Ace's quiet, courteous company and his intelligent conversation, which made such a welcome change from his brother, or Marimo. And as Nami-san had reminded them earlier, it had been nice to have someone around who was willing to do the washing up. He had noticed she didn't offer to do it herself… Not, of course, that he would ever expect his Nami-san to lift a finger in the kitchen. Still, it had made a nice change having Ace washing up and laying the table without being asked. Sanji laughed to himself; Ace would make a great husband. He wondered if there was a special girl in Ace's life. He hadn't mentioned one – but it just seemed wrong to Sanji that Ace could be single. He was such a catch; second in command to the most powerful pirate captain on Grand Line – which, apart from anything else, meant he must be loaded. A formidable and intelligent warrior, but also polite, good-natured, kind to small children… and bloody good-looking! He ought to be beating girls off with a stick. Still he was only twenty. Sanji did wonder for a moment whether Ace was gay, but dismissed the thought. Lots of pirates were gay, Sanji had known a few on the Baratie. Ace didn't look the type to him. Sanji yawned, stretched, stubbed out his cigarette butt; it was none of his business why Ace was single anyway. The sun was beginning to rise. Good. Marimo's turn on watch. Sanji smiled as he climbed down the ladder, trying to decide what would be the most unpleasant way to rouse the swordsman from his slumbers. 


	5. Chapter 5

Fire Fist Ace stood guiltily before his captain like a naughty school boy. Captain Whitebeard was _not_ happy. When he gave an order he liked it to carried be out promptly. It had been months since he had given his last order to the Fire Fist and still Blackbeard was most emphatically not dead yet.

"Just what the Hell have you been doing with yourself?" he growled between two huge swigs of rum. Cue involuntary flinches from his attendant nurses.

"Looking for Blackbeard, Captain," mumbled Ace, not even trying to sound defiant because he knew it was only partially true.

"In Alabasta?" Whitebeard's voice dripped sarcasm.

"I'd heard a rumour that he was at Yuba-"

"And you _believed_ it?"

Ace skirted round that issue. "I got Scorpion out of the bounty-hunting business," he said instead.

"Yes, he was a _much_ greater threat than Blackbeard will ever be," the sarcasm was so thick now, you could almost see it. Ace did not reply, so he continued. "And Schwänzenburg? What the bloody Hell were you doing there? As if I need to ask…"

"Actually, Captain, I was collecting information," said Ace, confidently. Well, it was true. Sort of. "Information that turned out to be useful, as it lead me to a naval fleet with details of Blackbeard's whereabouts-"

"Oh? So why isn't he dead?"

"Well, uh…" Ace rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "By the time I got there, he'd gone…"

Whitebeard's eyes flashed. "Maybe if you hadn't spent so much time running around delivering letters to the bloody marines and reuniting little milk maidens with they long-lost parents, you'd have got there in time!" Despite his heart sinking with guilt and indignation, Ace had time to marvel at the level of detail to which his captain kept himself informed. How _did_ the old git manage it? He wondered what else he knew, and was thankful that he made no mention of the rather embarrassing incident involving the doctor who happened to have the same name as Ace's quarry…

"And two days on Buggy the Clown's ship! I don't want my name associated with that prick! If that's not a monumental waste of time, I'd like to know what is."

"They were going the same way I was, and it was two days free food…" protested Ace, lamely.

"That's a shit excuse, and you know it!" Then there was pause, during which Whitebeard's eyes slowly widened with horror. "Don't tell me you were doing the same thing you were doing in Schwänzenburg – not with…"

Ace chose to ignore his Captain's implication and instead said: "With all due respect, Captain, I'd like to see you resist the advances of Iron Mace Alvida."

"Alvida you say?" Whitebeard gulped some more rum. "'S it true what they say about her? About what the Sube Sube fruit's done to her?"

"The rumours don't go any where near doing her justice, Captain."

"Oh. Well. That's different then, I suppose. However," Whitebeard cleared his throat. "I'm still bloody pissed off."

Ace bowed deeply. "Please except my humble apologies, Captain."

"Humble apologies, my arse! Just find the bastard and bump him off!"

"Very good, Captain." Ace bowed again and turned slightly towards the port side of the flagship, where he had moored his skiff. "Shall I…?"

"No, I've got one more thing to say to you," Ace turned back expectantly. Whitebeard put down his tankard of rum. "Look. I don't make a habit of passing judgement on the extracurricular activities of my crew, but there are some funny stories circulating about you. I'll say this and I'll say it now: whoever he is, and however blond and fit he is, he is _not_ more important than the missions I send you on. Got that?"

With that sinking feeling again, Ace bowed once more. "Yes, Captain."

"Good. Bugger off and get on with it then."

Ace didn't need telling twice.

* * *

Well... that was a very short chapter. Looking at it now, it's almost filler. But I wanted to keep the alternating Ace/Sanji POV going, and anyway I wanted to include Whitebeard because he rocks. This cpater and the next one took an awful lot of thought before I wroteall ofwhat I've uploaded here in the past 24 hours. I decided to upload them before I changed my mind and procrastinated any more.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter was bloody difficult to write! But I wanted to introduce the idea of Sanji beginning to question his sexuality without laying it on with a trowel.

* * *

Sanji, meanwhile, had been just as busy, if noticeably less promiscuous. He had thought about Ace only in scattered moments of peace, and then only in passing. And he certainly did not give Ace's love life another thought; that is, until he overheard a rather strange conversation in a bar ina smalltown, where they stopped off shortly before they reached Water 7.

It was the sort of bar that catered for pirates. The sort of place where people of both genders hung around in skimpy clothes, hoping to attract pirate lovers. Sanji was standing at the bar, trying to catch the attention of the bar staff, waiting to buy drinks for Nami-san and Robin-chan, and trying to ignore the two young men who were whispering about him and evidently thought he couldn't hear.

"Do you think _he_'s in here on the pull?" asked the darker-skinned one.

"I don't know," giggled the one with blue hair. "But if he is, I reckon his luck's in. He's _gorgeous_."

"Pity Fire Fist Ace has gone away again," replied his friend. Sanji's ears pricked up. "He looks right up his street."

"Yeah… blond, skinny, sharply dressed. Smokes too. What d'you reckon is Fire Fist's thing about smokers?"

"They say he's fallen in love with a guy who won't have him, don't they?" Intrigued, Sanji decided to stall for time so he could continue eavesdropping by pretending to tie his shoelaces. Then he remembered he was wearing loafers, so he deliberately dropped his change all over the floor instead. "…and he's going around screwing guys who look kinda like him instead."

"You morons!" hissed a well-endowed girl who had just joined them, Sanji had to strain to catch what she was saying.. "That's _him_."

"Who?"

"The guy Fire Fist Ace is in love with!"

"How the Hell do you know that?"

"Look: when Fire Fist was here, he slept with Max, didn't he? Max told _me_ Fire Fist told _him_ that this legendary cutie sails with Straw Hat Luffy. Well, who's over there…?" She indicated the table at which Sanji's nakama sat. "And besides, how many guys have _you_ seen with a curly eyebrow?"

By this time, Sanji had collected his change and bought the drinks.

"Think he heard us?"

"Nah…"

Rather shaken, he returned to the table, presenting the drinks to the ladies without the usual accompanying compliment.

"Took your time," commented Nami. Sanji mumbled something about a queue at the bar.

"I just heard some guys saying Ace was here a few days ago," Usopp spoke up. "Shame we missed him, huh?"

Sanji was thankful that Luffy simultaneously stealing Usopp and Zoro's dinners prevented him having to respond to this.

* * *

When they returned to the Going Merry that night, the Straw hat pirates went straight to bed. Judging by the snores that soon came wafting through the door of the men's quarters, Sanji's male nakama were sleeping soundly but he lay awake thinking about what he had overheard in the bar. Ace in love with him… he wished he could just dismiss the idea as absurd, but it actually would explain a lot of Ace's weird behaviour in Alabasta. He knew it was stupid, but he felt guilty. He knew what it felt like to long for someone and not have them, and he just couldn't bear to think that he was causing anyone – let alone Ace, who he liked so much – to feel the same misery that he sometimes felt concerning his Nami-san. But what could he do about it, even if it were true? Best to just try and forget about it – think about something else. Like… Nami-san. All right so, maybe in the circumstances romance wasn't the best thing for taking his mind off the Ace situation – but he already _was_ thinking about her, so… checking that the door was firmly locked, Sanji pulled a suitcase out from under the bed. This suitcase was also firmly locked and contained Sanji's most secret possessions: his Maerchen Ero Eros. All 930 of them. These flimsy volumes, printed on cheap paper and made as small and slim as possible to make them easier for their furtive readers to hide; Sanji would probably have died of shame had any of his nakama discovered them. He knew they were tacky, he knew they were cheap, but there was just something about these X-rated manga retellings of fairy tales that he got a kick out of. He reached out for his favourite one –Sleeping Beauty– and climbed back into bed with it. It had not always been his favourite, but for some reason the artist had chosen to draw the princess with red hair, which now made him think of his Nami-san. With the ease born of long practice, Sanji turned the pages with one hand while his other hand began to stray beneath the blankets…

A little later, just as he was beginning to enjoy himself, he stopped suddenly in horror. He was no longer concentrating on the pages of the Maerchen, and he was definitely not thinking about Nami-san. But he couldn't really be thinking about Ace, could he? Not while he was touching his… Sanji put the book aside and sat up. That couldn't have just happened. It just couldn't have. Probably he'd been thinking so much about Ace earlier that it had put thoughts into his head that weren't really there. He loved women, loved everything about them. And he'd certainly never found a man physically attractive. Then again, he'd never let himself think about it before, and there was no denying that Ace was beautiful- no! Not beautiful! Where was that coming from? No, no… wait. Sanji mentally calmed himself. Just being able to see that another man was good-looking didn't mean he was attracted to him. Because he wasn't. The sexualities of some of his nakama might be a bit suspect, but _he_ was heterosexual. And his heart belonged to Nami-san. At that moment he was just tired, feeling a bit lonely, and thinking far too much about what that girl had said about Ace. If he just tried to forget about it and get some sleep, he'd probably feel fine tomorrow. Resolutely, he locked away his Maerchen, blew out the candle, and rolled himself up in the blanket. Yes, tomorrow he could forget all about this and just continue trying to win over his Nami-san.

* * *

Wel, there you have it. As usual, I'm not entirely happy with it. Sorry if some of it reads a bit coy, but I didn't want to raise the rating just for this chapter. And please forgive Sanji for being a little bit gross, he is a teenage bloke after all!A/N 11/07: In response to helpful comments from Larunya I a)changed the name of the Maerchen (can't believe I didn't spot the dodgy connotations myself, shows how tired I was when I wrote it!) and b) am attempting to explain where the Maerchen Ero Ero idea actually came from. Well, it came from Oda-sensei, in fact. So I've put the link to my source in my profile. (As it wouldn't come up when I typed it in here). 


	7. Chapter 7

Wah! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! But it's been so hot here for the past few days I've been unable to think about much except for ice lollies and paddling pools.I've actually been wrestling withthis chapter for quite a while; it's been such hard work that yesterday morning I almost hated it! But now it's finally finished, I'm more proud of it than I thought I'd be...

* * *

After Enies Lobby, Ace couldn't help going to visit the Mugiwaras again, just to see that they were all really all right. No one was really sure what had happened there – there were some incredible rumours circulating. Ace found it hard to believe that any of that crew would ever be able to bear parting with each other, but he had to see with his own eyes that Robin and Usopp were still safely among them, because he knew his brother's heart would probably be broken otherwise.

He didn't find them, at first, in the harbour in which he had been told they were docked, because he was looking for the Going Merry. But as he walked up and down the quay for the second time, he heard an excited voice shouting: "Nii-chan! Nii-chan!" and there was Luffy, running towards him with that grin he knew so well, and he knew that everything must be all right.

Luffy gave him a proud tour of the beautiful new ship, like a little boy showing someone round his tree house. It was still small, but much more fitting for a pirate crew, and each of them now had their own cabins. Luffy was delighted when Ace voiced his approval, and after a little while even remembered to introduce him to their newest nakama, Franky: "My musician!"

"And shipwright," Franky's tone implied that, had he had a Berry for every time he had reminded his Captain of his real occupation, he would be a very wealthy android indeed.

Then there was Robin, who had still been their enemy last time he saw them, now as pleased to see him as the rest, and Usopp, seeming older, and more at ease with himself; he and Zoro seemed very happy about something, Ace never did find out what. Chopper, running to him as eagerly as Luffy had done, and Nami, saying how good it was to have someone with more than half a brain back on board.

And finally, there was Sanji, emerging from the shiny new galley, smiling in welcome and looking more beautiful than ever. Ace had hoped that perhaps seeing Sanji again would put a stop to his obsessing, but it was worse if anything. It was hard not to stare at him. But to his surprise, he found things less awkward than he had supposed they might be. Sanji was genuinely pleased to see him, and they found, once again, that they had a lot to say to each other. Almost without realising it, they fell into a kind of routine, mainly based around Ace washing up, Sanji forcibly ejecting Luffy from the galley, and many cups of Darjeeling tea.

* * *

The days passed, Blackbeard didn't show up, and Ace found himself not really caring much. Only occasionally did this fact make him guilty. Nothing much else really mattered when he could be near Sanji. Time, perhaps, could have continued to pass like this indefinitely, if it hadn't been for one night when they were left alone in the galley together after the rest of the crew had gone to bed…

They were sitting together side by side at the table, as they often had in the past few days, and talking of something inconsequential, when after a long pause, Sanji suddenly said in a voice that he strove to make bright and nonchalant: "Hey, Ace… mind if I ask you something kind of personal?"

Ace tried his hardest to sound as nonchalant as Sanji, but he had a horrible premonition of what was coming: "Go right ahead."

"Are you seeing anyone at the moment? I just wondered…"

Ace felt his heart speed up. He had a feeling he knew what this was leading up to… "No," was all he trusted himself to say, his voice sounding unnatural in his ears.

Turning, he saw that Sanji was leaning slightly towards him, his lips parted, his face oddly flushed. Ace just couldn't help it; he leaned forward until their lips met and… Sanji didn't pull away from him. It was Ace himself who broke the kiss, in disbelief, looking at Sanji questioningly, half sure that what had just happened was a kind of physical hallucination. Sanji looked equally stunned. After another pause, he said, uncertainly: "I'm not sure we should be doing this…"

"You didn't like it?" said Ace, and tried not to look as ridiculously happy as he felt when Sanji said: "No, it's not that…"

"Well then…"Ace, replied, trying to keep his voice calm. "Why are you fighting it?" he tentatively took Sanji's hand, and Sanji let him hold it; Ace's heart leapt. When he began to lean forward for another kiss, and Sanji met it… he felt like his heart would burst.

This time, the kiss lasted longer. Ace tried to be gentle, but it was very hard when he finally, _finally_, had Sanji in his arms, was kissing those perfectly formed lips, burying his fingers in that beautiful blond hair, holding that slim, graceful body against his own… And Sanji seemed to be really enjoying himself, judging by the way his body was relaxing and his breathing was beginning to speed up…

Eventually, they had to break the kiss, if only to let themselves breath. Still holding Sanji's hand, and breathing rather hard, Ace stood up. Looking towards the door, he said: "Shall we…?" and was almost frightened by how quickly his heart beat sped up when Sanji gave a nod and silently followed him to his own cabin.

* * *

Once inside, Sanji closed the door and turned to face Ace. Ace stepped forward, tentatively, to put his arms around Sanji's waist and Sanji stepped into them, putting his own arms around Ace's neck. They kissed again. Oh God, it felt so good! Sanji's body fit perfectly into his arms and his skin was even softer than it looked… Ace let his lips move to Sanji's jaw and neck, undid the buttons of his shirt and began exploring his bare chest and stomach. Sanji's breathing was speeding up, and his hands were hesitantly beginning to move over Ace's bare torso, and their bodies were pressed so closely together that Ace could feel how aroused Sanji was.

Now that Ace was sure that Sanji wanted this as much as he did, he decided that the long awaited moment had come to take thing further. Without a second thought, he deftly unbuckled Sanji's belt and, with a sigh of longing and anticipation, thrust his hand inside…

Whatever he had thought would happen next, he had _not_ been expecting Sanji to wrench his lips away from his own and to push him almost violently away from him.

The pause that followed felt like an eternity. Ace stood in the middle of the floor, Sanji with his back against the door, and with an awful confused, panicked look on his face. Sanji dropped his gaze to the floor and whispered: "I'm sorry, Ace."

"What did I do wrong?" asked Ace, stricken with guilt, his voice also little more than a whisper.

"Nothing. You didn't – I mean – It's my fault. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Well then… why did you?" Ace's voice was beginning to tremble, and he was angry with himself for it. He _must not_ cry: as if Sanji needed anything else to upset him!

Sanji sat down on the bed with his back to Ace, and continued: "Ace, I'm sorry! I wanted to – I guess I can't lie about that! But…"

"But..?"

"But I – I guess I didn't want to as much as I thought I did… I shouldn't have messed you around like this," Sanji's voice was beginning to tremble as well; Ace couldn't bear to hear it. He knew this was all his fault, he shouldn't have come on so fast or so heavy; he should have seen that Sanji was still confused. He shouldn't have been so damn selfish.

"I'm sorry, Sanji," he said. "It's all my fault-"

Sanji cut him off: "For God's sake, Ace! Don't blame yourself! It was my fault not yours," he put up a hand to cover his eyes and Ace had a horrible suspicion he was crying.

"I'm sorry," Ace said again, lamely. "I'll go now."

"What do you mean, go? Go where?" Sanji demanded. But he demanded it of thin air, because Ace had already disappeared out of the door.

Ace opened the door of the spare cabin where he had been sleeping with as much noise as possible, hoping Sanji would think that was where he meant when he said "away". He knew he was being a coward, but it was clear that Sanji would be better off without him around from now on, and he didn't want to be stopped from leaving. Fortunately, he believed in being ready for sudden departures, and all his belongings were still in his backpack. Despising himself, he crept down to his brother's cabin and gently shook him awake.

Luffy sleepily muttered something about hermit crabs not being able to fly, before he opened his eyes. "Na? Nii-chan?" he said, upon waking properly. "What have you brought your bag to my bedroom for?"

"I have to go Luffy, Whitebeard called me on the Baby Den Den," he had never lied to his brother before, but he didn't want to arouse suspicions. "It sounds urgent; he didn't say what it was, in case the call was intercepted."

Luffy, predictably, pouted and made puppy dog eyes at him. "Aww, but Nii-chan! I thought you were going to be here for aaaaages!"

Ace had always found it hard to resist those eyes. He turned as if to go: "I'm sorry Luffy, but I can't stay here any more."

Luffy sat up in bed. "Are you all right, Nii-chan?"

"Yes, why?" said Ace, in what he hoped was a neutral tone of voice. Damn Luffy, he was so unexpectedly perceptive at times!

"You sound all sad…" getting out of bed he padded across the cabin and, for the first time in many a year, put his arms around his brother and hugged him tightly. Ace pulled him closer, drawing unexpected comfort from the feel of skinny little arms squeezing him and wiry, unruly hair ticking his chin.

"I'm all right Luffy, I promise," another lie, he was sure Luffy was not taken in. But at the same time, he seemed to sense that his brother didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him, because he just held him even tighter and rubbed his back soothingly.

"I really have to go now Luffy," said Ace, afraid that he would burst into tears.

"OK then, Nii-chan! Come and see me again soon. Not till you've finished off Blackbeard though," said Luffy, with his trademark giggle.

Ace managed a watery smile. "You can count on it," he said, then he turned abruptly away out of the cabin. Unmooring his skiff as quietly as possible, he set off along the coast to find a secluded inlet to hide in while he waited for Blackbeard to appear.

He was thankful that he was almost out of sight from his brother's ship before the tears began rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

;; see why it was so hard to write? Please, please, don't hate me for doing that to them! I feel guilty enough as it is xx Next chapter will hopefully follow shortly.


	8. Chapter 8

I bet you'd all given up on me, hadn't you? I'm really, really sorry it took so long to upload this chapter - and I have no excuse. I'd like to apologize to all my loyal reviewers and readers and really hope it was worth the wait.

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Sanji didn't know how he managed to sleep that night, but he did. He woke the next morning still in his clothes, and with the feeling that he done something truly terrible. He couldn't see exactly how he could resolve the situation, but surely he should at least apologize to Ace? Straightening his clothes, he left his cabin and went to knock on Ace's door. He received no answer. As he was knocking a second time, he was less than pleased to be found by his captain who whined at him: "Saaaaanji! I'm staaaaarving! You're late for breakfast!" then, seeing that Sanji stood at the door of the now vacant cabin: "Oh. Did you want to talk to Nii-chan? He had to go away."

Sanji felt his heart contract. "When was this?"

"In the middle of the night. Whitebeard called him away."

Sanji tried to tell himself that it must be a coincidence. But he couldn't help remembering the final words they had exchanged the night before:

"_I'll go now."_

"_What do you mean, go? Go where?"_

He forced a smile onto his face. "Guess it was something to do with Blackbeard, huh?"

"Yeah! Hope he kicks his arse!" Luffy laughed. "Come and do breakfast now!"

Well, perhaps cooking would take his mind off things. He followed Luffy to the galley, trying his utmost to behave like his normal self.

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Over the next few days, Sanji found it increasingly difficult to behave like his normal self , as he began to wonder if perhaps he had made a terrible mistake. He had to keep reminding himself that he loved Nami-san – then try and quash the little voice that told him that, if he had to remind himself of it, then it couldn't be true. He lay awake for hours each night with these thoughts twisting around in his head. Of course he loved Nami-san – you couldn't _think_ you loved someone for over two years only to find that you didn't, surely? And he had _never_ in his life been even _remotely_ attracted to a man… But then he would think of Ace's smile and be unconvinced all over again. Sanji hated being unsure about things; he considered it a sign of weakness in others and he detested showing weakness himself. He would toss and turn in bed getting more and more frustrated and angry with himself. Just because he enjoyed Ace's company, and they had so much in common, didn't mean he was in love with him for God's sake! He would repeat this over and over under his breath, and feel like screaming to drown out that little voice in the back of his mind that was reminding him of how passionately he had returned Ace's kiss and how unexpectedly good it had felt to press his chest against hard muscle instead of soft breasts.

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It finally came to a head one morning several days later. The sleep loss and mental torture was beginning to take it's toll on Sanji, and he was preparing breakfast with less than his usual flair. When he had served his nakama and started on his own breakfast, Nami piped up: "Sanji-kun! You forgot mine and Robin's coffee!"

For some reason, it was the final straw. Normally it would have provoked an outburst of fawning devotion from Sanji. Profuse apologies and compliments. Promises of beautifully prepared snacks later to make up for it. But this time it suddenly roused in Sanji's mind images of Ace: Ace's smile, the look in Ace's sleepy brown eyes when Sanji thanked him, Ace being surprised and delighted when Sanji offered him snacks, rather than complacently pleased…

"Oh, get it yourself!" snapped Sanji.

Cutlery clattered onto plates as his nakama froze with shock.

Realising what he had said, Sanji stared helplessly from one Straw Hat pirate to another before muttering an apology to Nami and shutting himself in his cabin, where he eventually took refuge in tears, now completely and utterly convinced that he _had_ made a terrible mistake.

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His nakama, at meal times that day, though subdued by his morose demeanour, at least had the tact to let him pretend he was fine and allowed him to mope in his cabin the rest of the time in peace. It was not until long after dark, when they were all in bed, that he emerged above deck, feeling the need of fresh air. He was not used to thinking so long and to so little effect about his feelings and he felt completely exhausted. The night air, however, was pleasantly fresh and crisp, soothing to his troubled spirits, and he was beginning to let his mind drift into thoughts of not very much at all, when a voice called down to him from the crow's nest: "Cook-san?"

"Yes, Robin-chan?" he turned to look upwards, producing an attempt at an attentive smile from sheer force of habit.

"I wondered if you were feeling any better? You haven't seemed yourself at all today…"

"Ah, Robin-chwan is so thoughtful to worry about me! So-"

She cut him off gently: "Now, Cook-san. Stop it. Is anything the matter?"

"Well…" Suddenly he had had enough of stewing over the situation on his own, and it felt like it might be a relief to confide in someone. "Well, Robin-chan, it's really rather complicated."

"Would you like to come up here and tell me about it, perhaps?"

"Shall I make us some cocoa first?"

"Cocoa would be lovely," she said graciously. He smiled at her, rather more naturally than before, and departed for the galley to put the kettle on.

Up in the crow's nest, Robin also smiled. She had a pretty good idea what Cook-san had been moping about recently. It was not usually her way to interfere with people's personal problems, but she loved each of the Straw Hats so much, and couldn't bear to see any of them as unhappy as Cook-san had been recently, that she was prepared to step into unfamiliar emotional territory for his sake.

Sanji soon returned, and she assisted him in carrying the two mugs of cocoa up to the crow's nest with arms sprouted from the mast.

They settled themselves down comfortably and began to drink their cocoa. After a sizable pause, Sanji finally said, rather lamely: "I don't really know where to begin."

Robin remained silent, deciding to let him collect his thoughts before she asked any questions. Finally, he said: "It's about Ace."

There! She had guessed right. "What about Fire Fist-san?" she inquired.

"I think I…" he took a deep breath. "I think I have feelings for him." He paused, wondering if she would react to this. When she didn't, he went on: "And I _know_ he has feelings for me." Now he had begun, it was getting easier.

"Well then," smiled Robin. "I don't see what the problem is."

Sanji put down his mug of cocoa: "It's not that simple, Robin-chan!" he said desperately. "When he was here I – he – I mean – we kissed." Again she said nothing. "And then I pushed him away."

"And why did you do that, Cook-san?" she asked, gently.

"I was scared, I guess," he said, with a rueful little smile. "I've never been even remotely attracted to a man before. And I didn't think I wanted to – you know…"

She nodded, sparing him the embarrassment of elaborating. "But now I think I really _do_ want to after all. Oh, but Robin-chan!" he burst out. "I feel like I'm being unfaithful to Nami-swan! I really thought I loved her, you know."

"I don't know anything about falling in love, Cook-san," said Robin. She had always been what you might call a lone wolf, and had never given much thought to romance. "But it seems to me that, even if you had been in love with Navigator-san, that's no reason to stop you and Fire Fist-san being happy. You're an intelligent man, Cook-san, you must have realized by now that there could never have been any chance for you with Navigator-san; she's still pining for her princess."

"I didn't really want to believe it…" he mumbled miserably.

"Do you need to be head over heels in love with a person to be happy with them? I've never believed in giving out advice on affairs of the heart, but it seems to me that the best thing you could do in this instance would be to try it out."

"But Robin-chan…what if it turns out I _can't_ give him what he wants?"

Was there any way to tell a person you thought you knew their own mind better than they did without sounding patronising? Robin didn't think so, but she might as well try: "Cook-san – I saw the look you got on your face sometimes when you were talking to him. I've never seen such an expression on your face before. You don't have to take my advice, but I really think you should at least try and see if you can make something work with Fire Fist-san." He opened his mouth to object but she spoke over him: "Even if it comes to nothing, at least then you'll both _know_. Surely that's better than leaving both of you hanging forever?"

"You make a very convincing case, Robin-chan," he said, laughing a little unhappily.

Robin shrugged slightly. "Like I said: I know nothing about these things. But that seems the most logical course of action to me." She took a sip of cocoa. Sanji yawned deeply and she looked up at him a little anxiously. He looked exhausted – there was a dark circle under the eye she could see and even his hair seemed flatter and less lustrous than usual. "Cook-san," she said, solicitously. "I think you need to get some sleep."

"Yes, Robin-chan, you're right." He finished his cocoa and yawned again. Then, as he was climbing out of the crow's nest he turned back to her and said, a little awkwardly: "Thank you, Robin-chan."

"Oh there's no need to thank me, Cook-san," she smiled pleasantly. "I just hope no one has set up an ambush for us while I was talking to you instead of keeping watch like I should have been doing."

Sanji laughed rather uncertainly and went down to his cabin. But instead of going to bed, he dug around in his belongings and found a pad of paper and a pen. Sitting down on the bed, and frowning intently, he began to write: "Dear Ace,"…

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That morning, the bird that delivered Nami's daily newspaper left with a letter addressed to "Portgas D. Ace, Second in Command of Whitebeard Pirates, Grand Line" and a considerably higher fee than usual in it's little brown satchel. Only then, did an absolutely shattered Sanji, under the satisfied gaze and Robin and the astonished ones of his other nakama, stagger back into his cabin, sweep the crumpled remains of discarded drafts of letters off the bed, crawl under the blankets and sleep.

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Need I say that I'm not entirely happy with it...? It was very difficult to write. I only hope it's up to scratch, and that motherly!Robin wasn't too out of character. I promise the next chapter (which will be the last! o) won't take a whole month like this one did.


	9. Chapter 9

I split this final posting into two chapters - 10 is a nice even number of chapters to have. This one looks like just drunken debauchery at first, but don't worry it soon becomes relevat to the plot.

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Blackbeard was dead. On Whitebeard's flagship over the next week, there was much rejoicing. The rum flowed even more freely than usual, and any number of pretty young people of both genders found their way aboard with the intention of entertaining the crew – for profit or otherwise. To anyone who did not know him, Fire Fist Ace, the hero of the hour, appeared to be having the time of his life. He imbibed copious amounts of rum, and seemed to be revelling in the company of the beautiful blond young men who were vying for his attention. On the fifth day of the celebrations, with a bottle of rum in his hand and a particularly stunning blond groupie who had been permitted the honour of wearing his cherished hat sitting on his lap, no one could have looked more festive than he did. But his loyal crewmates were convinced.

"It's all an act," slurred Ozi, the navigator, shaking his drunken head sadly.

"You sure about that?" queried Deku the sailmaker. "He looks happy enough to me."

"Have you ever known him go with men in such a short space of time? He's using the groupies to hide from something," said Ozi, with the all-encompassing knowledge that comes with the consumption of an inadvisable number of units of alcohol.

"You reckon?" said Deku, gulping down some more grog.

"Look at him-" waving vaguely in Ace's general direction. "He's surrounded himself with people the whole time since he's been back. Is that normal?-hic!-Fire Fist likes his space. It's like he's scared to be alone-hic!"

"Reckon the rumours are true?"

"The broken heart rumours? Oh without a doubt," Ozi nodded sagely, but spoiled the effect by passing out immediately afterwards.

Deku gazed blearily at him for a few seconds, the stole his grog and staggered away to make a pass at a blue-haired girl he'd had his eye on all night.

Unobserved by either of them, or indeed by any of the drunken rabble on that ship, a messenger bird flew in with a letter addressed in an elegant, cursive script, to Portgas D. Ace.

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"Look Fire Fist-chan!" giggled the groupie who wore his hat. "A birdie!"

"Birdie..?" he looked up to see the unfortunate messenger bird that was trying to fight it's way free from the clutches of two drunken girls who were trying to play with it.

"I think ish got a letter for you, Captain Fire Fisht," slurred a drunken pirate who lay prone on the deck looking up the skirts of passing girls.

Gently depositing his groupie on the floor next to him, Ace stood, rather puzzled, and rescued the messenger bird. Ruffling its feathers indignantly, it accepted it's payment then took off as fast as it could before any further indignities could be inflicted upon it.

Rather intrigued as to who could be writing to him – he couldn't remember ever receiving a letter before – he opened the envelope. The first thing he read was the signature and it made his breath catch in his throat – Sanji.

Moving away from the group he had been sitting with, he read Sanji's letter with a pounding heart:

Dear Ace,

There are so many things I feel I need to say to you, but I don't know where to begin. A letter is so inadequate. I'm so sorry for what happened last time you were aboard our ship. I want you to know, I blame myself entirely. Since you left, I've come to realize that I made a terrible mistake. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, please come back and see me again. I understand completely if you don't want to, it's only what I deserve. But there are so many things I need to talk to you about.

Sanji

That was it. It barely covered half a sheet of note paper. But it was enough for Ace. Without even pausing to think, he retrieved his hat – eliciting a yelp of "I thought you were gonna let me keep it, you cheap bastard!" – grabbed his bag from his cabin, and hurried over to where his captain sat in a tangle of intravenous tubing, surrounded by rum casks and anxious nurses.

"And just what are you doing at your own party, looking like someone's died?" he roared jovially. "Someone you like, I mean," he added, remembering that the very reason they were celebrating was because someone _had_ died.

"I need to ask permission to leave, Captain," said Ace, his expression not altering.

Whitebeard's good mood evaporated. He put the cask he had been drinking from down on the deck with such force that the nearest two nurses were drenched in rum. "It's this man everyone's whispering about, isn't it?" he growled.

"Yes, Captain," said Ace, simply, unable as well as unwilling to lie to Whitebeard.

"Sort it out, all right? Sort it out, or don't come back – because a pirate who mopes around like you've been doing is no pirate at all."

But Ace barely heard his Captain's grim condition, all he heard was the permission to go. His face broke into a grin and he exclaimed: "Thank you, Captain!" before leaping athletically over the gunwale to where his skiff was moored.

"Oi, I didn't mean go _now_ you fucking nutter, there's a storm brewing!" Whitebeard called after him. But it was no use. A burst of flame, and Ace was gone. Whitebeard shook his head. His youthful first mate was an excellent fighter, but there were times when he was almost more trouble than he was worth.


	10. Chapter 10

Late night on the Going Merry. Sanji was in the galley, having finished work in there for the day. Sitting down at the table, he poured himself a glass of wine and lit the day's final cigarette. Sanji needed time to unwind before going to bed – though he had been finding that difficult recently. Sipping his wine he wondered, as he had countless times already, whether Ace had got his letter yet. And whether he had torn it up and thrown it away if he had. He could have hardly been blamed for doing so, after the way Sanji had treated him. Sanji puffed anxiously at his cigarette. He certainly hoped Ace wouldn't tear it up. Since admitting his feelings, he had become more sure of them every day, though he would not have believed that was possible. Waiting for Ace to reply had given him a breathing space in which to truly come to terms with what he felt, and to get used to the idea that it was a _man_ and not a woman, that he desired so much.

Still, it had been several weeks since he had written to him and he was getting a little anxious – he supposed there was a good chance that the letter hadn't reached Ace yet. Grand Line postal services were, by their very nature, unreliable. But he just wished he _knew_. All this waiting and wondering was making him really miserable. Perhaps the weather was partly responsible for his mood as well; it had been raining on and off for days and days and there had been several storms. It was raining now, and a chill wind was blowing. Sanji drank some more wine. Perhaps, perhaps Ace had got the letter. Perhaps he had decided to forgive Sanji. Perhaps he was even planning to come and see him soon, if he didn't have anything more important to do. This hopeful reverie was interrupted by a small tap on the galley door. Unused to company at this time of night – or to such courtesies as knocking – Sanji jumped. "Who's there?" he called out suspiciously. "Luffy, if that's you trying to sneak food-" but the door creaked open to reveal, not Luffy, but his brother.

He was soaking wet and bedraggled and looked so utterly exhausted and forlorn that for a split second Sanji almost didn't recognize him.

"It's me, Sanji," he said rather superfluously.

Sanji leapt up and ran to him. "Ace!" In the sudden rush of emotions that he was experiencing, it felt perfectly natural for him to clasp both of Ace's hands. "You actually came!"

"Of course I came," Ace pulled Sanji's hands against his chest. "How could I have stayed away?"

Sanji looked down at the floor. "You would have been well within your rights to, after the way I treated you…"

"But Sanji… what happened that night was my fault, not yours. I shouldn't have come on so heavy, I-"

"But if you _don't_ blame me, then why did you leave?"

"Because you were so upset. I just couldn't bear the thought that I'd caused it, and I felt sure you'd never want to talk to me again…" Sanji shook his head gently. "I just couldn't believe it when I got your letter. I set sail as soon as I'd read it."

"As soon as..? Oh Ace!" Now Sanji knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had done the right thing in asking Ace to come back to him. He flung his arms around Ace and squeezed him tightly. "I was sure you'd have more important things to do," he mumbled, into Ace's shoulder.

"Of course not, Sanji," Ace replied. "Nothing could be more important than you."

He spoke with such simple sincerity, that Sanji was overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of tenderness. This time he felt no apprehension or uncertainty – without even thinking about it, he pressed his lips against Ace's and kissed him passionately. He had not thought it would be this simple. He had thought they would discuss it more: he had had all sorts of speeches and explanations planned out in his head. But as Ace responded to his kiss with a soft moan of pleasure, wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, Sanji that this was the only way it should be.

They would probably have stayed that way for much longer, if Sanji had not then become aware that cold water was slowly dampening his silk shirt. "Ace, you're soaked!" he exclaimed. "How long have you been sailing in the rain?"

Ace shrugged. "Several days. I haven't really stopped since I set sail."

"Kuso Hiken," Sanji said, stroking his cheek. "There was no need to exhaust yourself for my sake," then he remembered something that Ace had told him once, about food triggering his narcolepsy, and that being dangerous while sailing… "_Please_ tell me that doesn't mean you haven't eaten since you set sail either?" Ace hesitated before replying, which was answer enough. "_Ace_!" Sanji exclaimed, eyes wide. "How have you not caught pneumonia, or collapsed, or both?" he pulled out of their embrace. "I'm going to get you a towel, and run you a hot bath. And get you some food. You just sit down," As he bustled out of the galley, Ace sat down obediently at the table, smiling a little sheepishly.

Moments later, Sanji was back with an enormous white towel, fluffy and warm. He threw it at Ace, saying: "Take off your wet jeans."

"Yes, Sanji," Ace said meekly, as Sanji went on: "I'll heat up some soup for you," then turned away blushing, when Ace grinned to see that he was stealing sly glances at him during the brief moments when he stood in only his boxers.

Only when he turned to set the bowl of hot, rich soup down on the table did he look at Ace again. He smiled. Ace looked rather cute wrapped up in the towel. As Ace gave up any pretence that he wasn't ravenously hungry and attacked the soup, Sanji lit another cigarette. Taking a deep drag, he placed his hand over Ace's. "Kuso baka," he said, gently, stroking his wrist with his finger. "Never do anything silly like that again, OK?"

"I'll try, Sanji," said Ace, between mouthfuls of soup. "But then," he squeezed the hand that held his. "Am I ever likely to get a letter like that, again?"

Sanji confessed a nagging fear that he'd had since he posted the letter: "I was afraid I'd been a bit overdramatic. I didn't mean to worry you."

Ace squeezed his hand again. "I think probably I was the one who was being overdramatic." They gazed affectionately at each other for a few moments, until Ace's eyes glazed over and he began the slump forward. Sanji managed to shake him gently awake before his head hit the table. "Sorry," said Ace, sweat-dropping.

"I feel like I should have let you sleep," Sanji stroked his face. "You must be so tired. Would you like to go to bed?"

"Well, yes. But I would quite like that hot bath first."

"Oh, well it won't take long, there's plenty of hot water." He paused, suddenly feeling a little shy. "Hey, Ace? You wouldn't fall asleep in the bath, would you? What I mean is – should I sit with you in case you do?" He blushed again as Ace laughed a little and said: "Please do." Sanji took his hand and lead him to the bathroom.

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In the bathroom, Sanji poured bubble bath into steaming hot water. This time the glance he gave Ace's naked, tattooed form as he let the towel drop was anything but sly. Having long ago reconciled himself to the fact that Ace was not female, his desire was rapidly growing now that Ace was here with him.

He watched Ace settle himself in the tub, then helped him wash his hair and scrub his back, letting his hands linger much longer than necessary on the hard muscle, and marvelling at how much he liked the feel of it under his fingers.

When all the shampoo was rinsed away, Ace leaned back with a contented sigh. Sanji sat on the floor and lolled against the edge of the tub, letting his eyes rove over Ace's smooth, naked torso. The more he saw, the more he found he liked. His gaze dropped lower – if only he hadn't put so many bubbles in the water!

"What?" said Ace, seeing Sanji staring at him.

Sanji blushed, but smiled as well this time. "I never would have thought I'd say this to any man, Ace, but – you're so beautiful."

Ace moved forward and pulled Sanji into a deep kiss. Sanji kissed back fervently, not caring that Ace was dripping all over his favourite silk shirt, or that his knees hurt from kneeling on the hard floor, too caught up in the feeling of his body responding to the urgency of Ace's kiss. Gasping for breath, he pulled away and whispered in Ace's ear: "I want you, Ace!"

Ace stood up, grinning again, and reached for the towel. "Then let's go to bed," he said, leading the way to Sanji's cabin, still dripping.

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"Ace, you must be exhausted," said Sanji once they were inside. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to sleep?"

In answer, Ace kissed him again, and pressed his body very close against Sanji's, saying: "What do you think?"

"I guess you wouldn't," Sanji smiled, feeling something very hard pressing against his hip.

Ace said nothing more but, letting the towel drop to the floor, he lay down on the bed and gently pulled Sanji down on top of him, undoing his shirt as he did so.

Dawn was beginning to break when they'd decided they were sated – for now – and at long last Ace succumbed to his exhaustion and fell asleep almost immediately, his arms wrapped tenderly around Sanji. Sanji, however, continued to lie awake, overwhelmed by what they had just done, thoughts, images, remembered sensations, spinning round inside his head. Sanji had always thought of himself, with women, as being a diligent, attentive lover who provided for the every need of his bedfellow while she had to do nothing but lie back and be pleasured. But he had found that, with Ace, this overpowering need to perform that had plagued him throughout most of his adolescence was gone. With Ace, he had found it easy to lose himself in the immediate pleasure of what they were doing. It was only now, afterwards, that he had time to marvel at how much he enjoyed being held in Ace's strong arms and yielding to his fast, urgent and expert lovemaking. And to be delighted that Ace had taken as much pleasure from his own subtle, slow, lazy technique. He sighed and stretched contentedly. If anyone had told him before now that it was possible to be this happy, he would never have believed them. If only he had let himself accept it sooner… But no, he thought, snuggling closer to Ace, now was not the time to regret the past, or worry about the future, now was simply the time to be happy for as long as was humanly possible.

Laying his head on Ace's shoulder, Sanji also, finally, slept.

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And let us hope that they will be happy for as long as human possible, because this is where we leave them! I was going to change the title. but it seems to have justified itself, with this "happy after ever ending" (Maerchen means fairy tale in German, if I haven't mentioned that somewhere before).

This is the first story of any length that I've ever actually finished, so you can't tell how proud I am! But please don't let that stop you from sharing any constructive criticism you may have!


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